World welcomes Noordin Top`s death

World leaders have welcomed the death of terrorist mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top
amid warnings Indonesia remains under threat from Islamic extremists.
Noordin, a Malaysian-born militant behind a string of deadly bombings, was one of
four people killed in a police raid on a hideout in Central Java on Thursday.
His death brought to an end a seven-year manhunt for the 41-year-old former
accountant and maths teacher, who led a hardline splinter group of terror
organisation Jemaah Islamiah (JI).
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who Noordin's group allegedly wanted
to assassinate, said authorities had killed a feared figure who had damaged the
country's peace, image and economy.
But Noordin's death did not mark the end of Indonesian terrorism, he said.
"That's why we must continue to be vigilant and prepare steps to tackle, prevent and
hunt down terrorist leaders, their networks and other fugitives."
The US administration also welcomed the news.
"This potentially represents a significant step forward in Indonesia in its battle
with extremists," the State Department's Philip Crowley said.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd congratulated Indonesian security forces, saying Noordin's
death would "significantly" undermine Islamic militants across the region.
But Mr Rudd also warned against complacency.
"It doesn't leave us in a position where we can feel complacent about the future,"
he told ABC radio.
"Jemaah Islamiah is still alive and well, al-Qaeda is still alive and well."
Sidney Jones, a terrorism expert with the International Crisis Group, said the
terrorism threat remained real.
"I think you have got to assume that things are better with Noordin gone," she said.
"Noordin's group was really the only one operating in Indonesia that aimed at
targeting westerners.
"But I think it would be a real serious mistake to believe the problem is over with
Noordin's death.
"There are too many people attracted to the idea of global jihad in Indonesia for us
to assume the problem's finished," Jones said.
It is unclear whether someone within Noordin's group will rise to take his place, or
whether any of Noordin's followers will form their own violent terror cells, she
said.
"It would take only one person with a little charisma to draw people into the
ideology that Noordin represented," Jones said.
Indonesian police on Friday said Noordin's body would be returned to Malaysia for
burial once post mortem testing was complete.
Noordin's family in Malaysia's southern Johor state said they had long anticipated
his death.
"We were always prepared for such an outcome, especially after the last time when he
was suspected to have been killed," Rudi Hamid, Noordin's father-in-law, told the
Star daily.
"Even after eight years, my daughter still wishes for him to be buried here now that
it is confirmed that he was killed."
Noordin was the suspected mastermind of July's attacks on the JW Marriott and
Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta that killed nine, including three Australians and the
two bombers.
Authorities allege he also masterminded a 2003 attack on the Marriott, a 2004 attack
on Australia's embassy in Jakarta and the 2005 Bali bombings that killed more than
20, including four Australians.
He also attended key planning meetings of the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202
people, including 88 Australians.